Legal hurdles are slowing down German plans to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis among adults, with fears that a badly crafted law to legalize the drug could be thrown out by the European court of justice.
In a coalition agreement signed last November, the three-party government led by the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, stated its intention to make it legal to sell cannabis to adults for adult-use purposes.
The pledge has been reiterated by the Green party and the liberal Free Democratic party in particular, with the justice minister, Marco Buschmann, expressing optimism in May that a law could be passed by next spring and “the first legal joint” sold in Germany in 2023.
Since then, however, the government has become noticeably quieter on promises of a draft law in the autumn. On Monday, a legal analysis by the German parliament’s research service leaked to the news portal RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland warned that a move to legalize cannabis would contravene European regulations in more ways than one.
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